Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 115: "...It’s not that I can’t accept it."

Did Princess Astrid really say that, or did I mishear her?

The air fell into a brief silence. Lyra swallowed, her delicate body trembling slightly, her slender white fingers intertwined at her abdomen.

"Princess Astrid, what did you just say... I didn't quite catch it..."

Why was she suddenly being asked to take off her clothes? This was too strange.

"Miss Lyra, would you mind taking off your clothes in front of me?"

Astrid repeated her words, her ruby-like eyes calmly fixed on Lyra.

She wasn't asking this to tease Lyra or to do anything strange, like some of the restless Valeria nobles who might do peculiar things to their personal maids.

Astrid was doing this to verify some details about the use of the transformation potion, ensuring she wouldn't accidentally reveal her true identity in front of the Fourth Princess.

From what Amalia had said, there would be many more close moments like last night.

As the elder sister in the other's eyes, Astrid didn't want to make excuses to avoid them.

Having never received any parental love since childhood, this golden-haired girl was actually quite sensitive. Any act of rejection could hurt her barren and fragile heart.

"I... um... Princess Astrid..."

Lyra felt her head steaming, her ears burning, her fair cheeks blushing, and her hands tightly clutching the ribbons of her maid's dress.

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Taking off her clothes in front of the princess was just too embarrassing.

Lyra had known how to dress herself since she was very young, and since then, she had almost never undressed in front of others, let alone being asked to do so.

No, no, absolutely not. It was just too embarrassing.

If it were an emergency and she had to change clothes in front of Astrid to solve a problem, Lyra might not feel so ashamed.

She could grit her teeth and do it. But now, it clearly wasn't necessary. It seemed like the other party was asking just to watch something.

Her mother had said that a girl's body should not be seen by others, no matter what. Even if it was someone she liked, it had to wait until after marriage.

"...Is it too much?"

Seeing Lyra standing there, her legs tightly pressed together, her toes touching, looking as if she wanted to find a crack to hide in, Astrid narrowed her eyes and spoke softly.

"If you really don't want to, I won't force you."

"When Elise returns, I can have her come instead."

The reason Astrid wanted to experiment with Lyra was mainly because the latter's appearance after taking the potion was very different from her current one, making it more intuitive and effective for observation.

If Elise were to take the potion and there was no change in Astrid's eyes, she would have to find someone else, which would be time-consuming and laborious.

Hearing this, Lyra's expression faltered, her hands unconsciously loosening their grip on the ribbon, and a strange emotion welled up in her heart.

So, Princess Astrid didn't necessarily need her; Elise could do it too.

A inexplicable sense of loss quietly spread in her heart. Lyra pursed her lips, the blush on her cheeks fading slightly but not completely disappearing.

Unconsciously, the image of the head maid's curvaceous figure flashed through her mind.

Last time at the Countess' manor, perhaps stimulated by the dance between Countess Charlotte and Princess Astrid, or for some other reason, Lyra had stared at Elise for two or three minutes while sharing a bed with her, even comparing herself to the other before she realized it.

Miss Elise was taller than her, so her legs were definitely longer.

Certain parts of her body were visibly plump, at least much more so than Lyra, who was still a few months away from adulthood.

Although she wasn't exactly flat, she even had to choose a larger size for her bras than many of her peers, but compared to Elise, she still fell short.

After several comparisons, Lyra came to an obvious conclusion: there was a significant gap between her and those mature, charming older sisters.

No matter how she thought about it, Miss Elise was more appealing.

"I..."

Lyra opened her mouth, the blush on her cheeks intensifying. After a moment, she mustered the courage to continue.

"...It's not that I can't accept it."

"I just... I'm just curious why Princess Astrid wants to see someone... take off their clothes..."

As a maid, she should simply follow her master's orders. Lyra didn't really need to ask this question, and Astrid wasn't obligated to answer her.

However, Astrid still explained her reasoning.

"Nothing much, I just want to do an experiment."

Feeling that asking a shy girl like Lyra to undress in front of her was indeed a bit too much, Astrid spoke in a calm tone, seemingly already prepared to have Elise take her place.

Looking into Astrid's cold red eyes and hearing her indifferent tone, Lyra instantly realized what the other was thinking and frowned slightly.

Although Princess Astrid had said she wouldn't force her, if she really refused, the other might be disappointed in her, or even start to distance herself.

They were both girls... Even if Princess Astrid saw her, it shouldn't be a big deal...

"Princess Astrid... I..."

Lyra murmured, her voice low.

"I... don't... mind..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lyra turned her head, her fingers gently brushing the pink hair by her ear. The strands that fell with the movement covered her cheek, trying to hide the shyness and panic in her heart.

Hearing Lyra's barely audible response and glancing at the faint blush on the exposed part of the girl's neck, Astrid knew how much mental struggle Lyra had gone through to take off these clothes.

She didn't plan to tease her further and directly took out a bottle of transformation potion from the drawer.

"Drink this," Astrid said.

"...Okay."

Lyra took the crystal bottle, and seeing the dark green liquid inside, she immediately guessed what it was.

Without much hesitation, she removed the wooden stopper and brought the bottle to her lips, taking small sips.

"Um... Princess Astrid, should I start taking off my clothes now..." Feeling the bitterness on her lips, Lyra put down the crystal bottle and asked softly.

Astrid nodded, her cherry lips parting slightly. "Start."

There was about half a minute before the potion took effect. They didn't need to wait until the exact moment it activated. Astrid also wanted to know if the things the drinker had touched before the potion took effect would be affected by the illusion.

Following Astrid's command, Lyra subtly moved her neck, then bent down and lifted her legs, her fingers approaching the seam of her loafers, gently applying pressure.

The next moment, the shoes came off, and two snow-white silk-clad feet stepped onto the soft carpet in front of her.

The girl's smooth and delicate feet were wrapped in pure white silk, appearing soft and tender under the light, as if they would sink in at the slightest touch.

Feeling Astrid's gaze on her feet, Lyra's ears burned even hotter, her small and delicate toes curling inward slightly.

But to Astrid, this was a completely different scene.

She saw Lyra take off her knight's boots, her slender feet now clad in cute white lace-trimmed socks, with durable white leggings and silver metal knee guards above.

The Holy Knight Lyra and the personal maid Lyra were worlds apart in both attire and demeanor.

Even though the girl's cheeks were flushed and her hands didn't know where to place themselves, the sturdy armor she wore didn't make her appear delicate.

Instead, it highlighted a blend of resilience and grace, perfectly matching Astrid's image of a holy knight.

Noticing the girl's slight trembling, Astrid spoke softly.

"If you're cold, you can sit on the bed to undress."

Lyra shook her head, her voice low and gentle. "No, it's fine."

More than cold, she was just shy.

After answering Astrid, Lyra stood on the carpet for a while, then gently placed her hands on her lower back, untying the ribbon that cinched her maid's dress.

From Astrid's perspective, Lyra slowly removed her knight's armor, revealing a fitted white shirt underneath, her slender waist almost too delicate to hold.

"Is this okay... Princess Astrid..." Suppressing her inner shyness, Lyra asked softly.

As the weather was getting warmer, wearing too much would make her sweat while working outside the palace.

So, apart from this light maid's dress, she only had her undergarments and a pair of white stockings left.

"That's enough for now," Astrid replied.

Hearing this, the heavy stone in Lyra's heart finally fell. She had been wondering what she would do if Princess Astrid asked her to take off all her clothes.

If she had to comply, she might really die of embarrassment and not want to see anyone for the entire day.

Even though they were both women, Lyra didn't have the courage to completely let her guard down in front of Astrid.

Seeing the pink-haired knight stop, Astrid walked over to Lyra with light steps, her legs bending slightly as she picked up the integrated knight's armor from the carpet.

The armor felt cool to the touch, with a residual warmth from the girl's body.

A sweet, clean scent, reminiscent of a mix of citrus and vanilla, spread in the air, giving off a refreshing and non-threatening vibe.

Seeing Astrid carefully examining the maid's dress she had just taken off, her eyes serious, Lyra's heart pounded wildly, especially when the other brought the fabric to her nose and sniffed it, her heart rate skyrocketing, almost leaping out of her chest.

Although she didn't know what experiment Princess Astrid was conducting, Lyra clearly remembered the other mentioning that after drinking the one-way transformation potion, she appeared no different in Astrid's eyes.

This meant that the dress Astrid saw was just a dress, not some other outfit as Elise had described.

And now, with only her undergarments left, she was completely exposed in Princess Astrid's eyes.

Thinking of this, Lyra's sense of shame grew even stronger, her legs gently rubbing together, the faint sound of silk stockings rubbing against each other filling the air.

After holding the maid's dress for over ten minutes and examining the knight's boots by the carpet, Astrid could temporarily confirm that as long as the potion was consumed and the clothes were observed by her, they wouldn't change after leaving the drinker.

The transformation potion had already affected her vision. Before the potion's effect wore off, all clothing and accessories would remain in their transformed state, based on the observer's subjective perception.

Next, she needed to observe whether the clothes would change again if the potion was re-consumed after it had worn off.

Glancing at the clock, it was evening. The potion's duration was exactly two hours, so by the time Lyra drank it again, it would be past dinner.

They definitely couldn't go to the dining hall. She would have to ask Elise to bring something for Lyra to eat later.

As Astrid thought this, she placed the maid's dress on the chair by the desk and spoke softly.

"It's still early. Go sit on the bed for a while. Don't just stand there, or people will think I like to bully maids."

After being told to strip down to her undergarments and stockings by Princess Astrid, wasn't that already bullying?

Lyra touched her burning ears, hesitated for a moment, and then, thinking that this was the second time Princess Astrid had asked her to sit on the bed, she softly replied, "Okay."

Actually, all Lyra wanted to do now was return to her room, wrap herself in a blanket, and bury her head in the pillow, not wanting to see anyone.

This feeling was just too embarrassing.

Sitting on the soft princess bed, Lyra hugged her chest, her head lowered in silence.

Astrid didn't say much either, sitting down beside her and quietly waiting for the potion to wear off.

Time passed minute by minute. While Astrid focused on the changes in the clothing, her heart as calm as still water, Lyra felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

"Princess Astrid..."

"What is it?"

"Can I... use the blanket to cover myself..."

Hearing the girl's pitiful tone, as if she had just been mistreated, Astrid blinked her lashes a few times and replied softly.

"Sure, you can even cover yourself with the blanket and take a nap."

After saying this, Astrid felt she might have been too casual, so she added.

"Just don't get my blanket dirty."

At this moment, she was observing the clothes, not the person. As long as Lyra didn't leave, she could do whatever she wanted.

Hearing this, Lyra glanced at the clean and neatly made bed behind her, thinking that Princess Astrid slept on this bed every night.

Her heart stirred slightly, but was quickly overwhelmed by shame.

She hadn't even taken a bath or changed into her nightgown. How could she sleep on Princess Astrid's bed?

Suppressing the faint longing in her heart, Lyra placed her hands on her knees, her teeth lightly biting her pink lips, and after a moment, she responded.

"Reporting to Princess Astrid, it's fine. I'll just use the blanket."

With that, Lyra stood up, took the blanket from the hanger, and wrapped herself tightly, only revealing a pair of slender and well-proportioned snow-white legs.